Good Morning, Mr Echo
by iheartkatamari
Summary: High-kilter hilarity ensues when the Pound Puppies and Flack and Tubbs engage in an "echo battle." Based off of a Donald Duck comic by Carl Barks.
1. Chapter 1: Hello, Duncan

**Finally got an original story based off of the TV series done! This mostly adheres to the continuity of the first season (Holly owns the pound, Brighteyes is an adult dog rather than a puppy et al.), and, as in my previous fan fictions, Violet, Barkerville, Scrounger, Flack and Tubbs are part of the cast. This story does have some elements of the second season, too, however, in that everyone (rather than just Holly) can understand the dogs' language (this being an important part of the story). The storyline is based heavily off of a (very funny) Donald Duck comic called, "Managing the Eco System" which is part of the _Lost in the Andes_ comic compilation, available on ; also, the title of this story is taken from a song by Georgia Gibbs, which is available for download on . Please enjoy! (BTW, I have a picture of Duncan-as well as a picture of a real Dunker-on my blog, the Keeper of the Fun blog!)**

It's a pleasant afternoon in New York City. Out back of Holly's Puppy Pound, Cooler and Nose Marie are raking leaves, Howler is dozing in a hammock, Brighteyes is sitting on the front step of her doghouse listening to a pop song on an ipod, tapping her toes on the ground in time with the beat, and Whopper is sitting in front of several small block towers, playing with a couple of action figures.

Brighteyes takes her earphones out just as Nose Marie happens up to her. "Gosh o' golly gee, that Taffy Thornton sure is a great singer." says Brighteyes.

"She shore is, Honey Lamb. It'd be mighty nice t'have some tickets ta that-there concert she's a'puttin' on at th' local bandstand, but they's a little too expensive."

Just then, Holly Trueblood, manager of the pound and owner of the Pound Puppies, walks into the yard leading a medium-sized dog on a leash, with the other three Pound Puppies following her closely behind. The dog resembles a beagle, except he's a much lighter brown, has a blue, black-splotched back, and is a bit larger.

"Hi, Holly." says Cooler. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is Duncan, my friend Maddie's dog. She's planning on entering him in a dog show at the local fair; she has to judge the talent competition before the dog show, so she's asked me to keep an eye on him until then."

"He's shorely a right fancy-lookin' sort." Nose Marie says. "What kinda' dog might he be?"

"He's a Dunker. They're a very rare breed."

"Oh, awoo-oo-oo, a Dunker?" howls a concerned Howler. "He'd better be careful around water."

"No, Howler Hon'," says Nose Marie. "A Dunker's a type a' Norwegian huntin' dog."

"Norwegian? Like the Vikings? Ah, good, then he'll be okay around water after all."

"Y'all jus' don't get it, do ya?" the bloodhound replies indignantly.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Holly says. "Maddie gave us each tickets to the fair." She then hands the aforementioned to them.

"Gosh, thanks so much." says Cooler.

"Oh boy, this is gonna be great!" exclaims Whopper.

"Yeah," says Cooler. "There'll be rides!"

"And food!" says Scrounger.

"And games!" says Whopper.

"And food!"

"And music!" says Brighteyes.

"And food!"

"And prizes to be won!" says Howler.

"And food!"

"Scrounger Hon'," says Nose Marie. "Don't y'all ever think a' anything' 'cept food?"

"Well, yes, sometimes I think about dessert." the yellow basset hound replies. Nose Marie just stares blankly at him.


	2. Chapter 2: Must be Worth a Fortune!

At that very moment, Holly's nasty cousin Brattina, who was taking Catgut, her mother Katrina Stoneheart's pet, out for a brisk morning drag, stops by the yard and looks over the fence. "Eeeww, what an _ugly _dog! He looks like a cow gone wrong!"

"For your information, Brattina, this is a very rare and valuable dog." Holly replies angrily.

"Huh, _valuable_? I wouldn't pay so much as a _penny _for that icky dog. And it's certainly a good thing he's rare, that's not the sort of thing you'd want to see on a _daily _basis!" Brattina scoffs rudely. Catgut snickers nastily at this.

"He belongs to my friend, Maddie, and she's planning on entering him in a dog show…"

"_Dog _show?! He'd fare _much_ better in a _freak _show. Oh, wait 'til I tell Mommie Dearest about _this_!" Brattina then leaves, dragging Catgut behind her.

Brattina walks up the hill to the house where Holly's wicked aunt lives. She barges through the front door, and walks into the living room where Katrina is sitting at a small table, sipping tea.

"Huh! You'll _never _believe the day _I've _had, Mommie Dearest. That stupid, smelly Dabney Nabbit almost backed his dogcatcher's wagon over Catgut. I was lucky to get him out of the way before he became a cat pancake! And then, I go by Holly's place and she's dog-sitting this _ugly_ dog, she says he belongs to a friend of hers who's gonna enter him in a dog show at the fair and she's all like, "_He's real rare and valuable and blah-blah-blah_…"

"Eh, wait a second, Brattina dear, say that again."

"_Blah-blah-blah_…"

"No, no, not that part, the part about the rare dog."

"Ohh, yeah, Holly's dog-sitting this _ugly_ dog for a friend of hers…"

A sly grin spreads across Katrina's face. "Oooh, this will be perfect, just _perfect_! We'll pilfer that valuable dog right out from under Holly's nose and her friend will _never _trust her again! And I know just the right people for the job." She faces the doorway leading into the next room. "Oh, Flack! Oh, Tubbs!"

"Coming, Boss!" the two dognappers reply. Shortly thereafter, a loud crash is heard from the next room.

"Must you two always go charging through my house like a herd of wild buffalo?!" Katrina snarls at the dognappers as they enter the living room.

"'Specially since dat was an antique, ya twit!" Flack snaps at Tubbs.

"Duh, well, it coulda' been worse," says Tubbs. "It coulda' been sumthin' _new_."

Flack ignores him. "Y'wanted ta see us 'bout somethin', Boss?"

"Yes, yes," Katrina replies. "Holly's looking after a rare dog belonging to a friend of hers, I want you two to go to the fair and pilfer that dog from her."

"Consider it done, Boss." Flack says.

"Yeah, we'll nab dat smudibunger before ya can say, 'Dog…' Well, you know what I mean." says Tubbs.

The two dognappers promptly exit through a doorway, closing the door behind them. They hesitate for all of a second. "Gee whiz," says Flack. "It sure got dark early."

"It's kinda cramped out here, too." says Tubbs.

"You're in the _closet_, you goons!" snarls Katrina.

The dognappers exit the closet. "We knew dat." Flack says.

"Yeah, we wuz jus' jokin' 'n stuff." Tubbs says, as they both walk out the front door.

"I often question why I hired those two in the first place." Katrina mutters to herself.


	3. Chapter 3: Fun With Echoes

Holly had given each of the Pound Puppies a bunch of quarters to have a good time with at the fair, and they were doing just that, playing games, going on rides and such. They were having such a good time they didn't notice that Flack and Tubbs were following them.

"Hurry up, Tubbs!" Flack calls to his associate, who's standing by a nearby hot dog stand. "We gots ta hurry 'n nab dat rare mutt before da dog show starts!"

Tubbs ignores him. "Mmm, these hot dogs sure look good. Duh, hey Flack, you got any money?"

"Eh, only enuff fer one hot dog." the skinny dognapper replies, looking through his wallet. "We'd have ta split it."

"Can I have da bigger half?"

"Wait a second…" Flack muses. "Dere's money in change machines! Yeah, we oughta' get us a good wad a' dough dat way!"

The dognappers hurry over to a nearby arcade; Flack locates a change machine and starts trying to pry it open with a crowbar. "Huh. Can't seem ta get it open. Maybe if I try pryin' from dis side-no…maybe from here-no…" The skinny dognapper looks over his shoulder. "Hey, Tubbs, could ya's help me out here fer a second?"

"No problem," the fat dognapper calls from outside. "I a'ready got one open. There weren't no money in it, though."

A puzzled Flack traipses outside, upon which observing Tubbs standing next to a large silver machine, holding a crowbar. The back of the machine has been pried off and all of its insides are strewn all over the ground. In front is a sign reading, "ECHO MACHINE. MAKES ECHOES WITH EASE, NO TRIP TO THE MOUNTAINS NECESSARY! ONLY 25 CENTS PER ECHO."

"Wak! What did you _DO_?!" exclaims Flack. Suddenly, he observes six of the Pound Puppies(Violet and Barkerville had gone off to get some cotton candy earlier) walking right toward them. "Them mutts is comin'! We's gotta hide, an' _fast_!"

"Duh, but where?"

"Simple. Ya's took all da guts outta da machine, right?"

"Right."

"So, we's jus' gonna haf'ta stuff _your _guts _into_ da machine!" Flack promptly shoves Tubbs into the machine, then hurries into the machine himself.

The Pound Puppies approach the machine. "Echo machine, eh? Pretty clever." says Cooler. He turns to the group. "Who'd like to try first?"

"I'll try!" says Howler. He walks up to the machine. A mechanical hand pops out of his hat and drops a quarter in the coin slot in the front of the machine.

Inside the machine, Flack catches the quarter as it falls. "Say…" he muses quietly. "Dis could end up bein' a pretty sweet racket!"

Howler yodels, "Yodeo-lay-heee-awooo-ooo-ooo!"

"Uh oh," Tubbs whispers to Flack. "What're we gonna do 'bout da echoes? Da machine's broke!"

"Don'cha get it? _We'll _make da echoes _ourselves_!"

"Ooh, dat's real clever-like. Youse a regular Thomas Einstein, uh…Albert Edison, uh…you're a smartie every day!"

"Thanks fer da compliment, jelly brain."

"Now, uhh, how did dat go again?"

"Like dis. 'Yodeo-lay-heee-awooo-ooo-ooo!'"

"Oh, okay. 'Yodeo-lay-heee-_OOMPH!_" Tubbs is cut off sharply by Flack swiftly elbowing him in his fat belly.

"Stuff it, you goon! I a'ready did da echo once!"

Howler looks on astounded. "Hmm," muses Nose Marie. "Them-thar voices shore sounded mighty fer-miliar."

"Yeah…" muses Whopper, an impish grin spreading across his face. "They sorta _did_, didn't they?" He drops a quarter in the slot and yells, "Flack and Tubbs are dorkwads!"

From the machine comes a "Gheesh!", followed by, "Flack and Tubbs are(snort) dorkwads! _GNAR_!" which sends Whopper into fits of giggles.

"Ooh! Ooh! I got one!" says Brighteyes. She drops a quarter in the slot and yells, "Tubbs has a _crush_ on Taffy Thornton!"

"I do not _neither_!" the fat dognapper exclaims angrily, with his hands on his hips(or should we say _lack _of hips).

Flack quickly stuffs Tubbs' scarf in his mouth. "Hush! Ya's gonna give away our racket right when it's startin' ta pay off! I'll do da echo. 'Tubbs has a _crush_ on Taffy Thornton!'"

"I protest." Tubbs says in a muffled voice.

"I got one," says Whopper, as he drops another quarter in the slot. "Let 'em try to copy _this_!" He puckers his lips, then runs his finger up and down over them. _B-BL-B-BL-B-BL-B-BL-B-BL_.

A_ B-BL-B-BL-B-BL-B-BL-B-BL_ comes from the machine.

Whopper drops another coin in the slot, then blows a raspberry. _THBBT_!

A _THBBT_! comes from the machine, followed by, "Dis is gettin' ridiculous." at which Whopper cracks up again.


	4. Chapter 4: Now Can You Hear Me?

"Say, Howler," Nose Marie says. "Y'all re-member that-there old song?"

"Ohh, yeah, I think so."

"Y'all re-member how it went, 'zactly?" Nose Marie drops a quarter in the slot.

"Hmm, I think so. Did it go like this? DA-DA-DA-DA-_DA_-WHOMP WHOMP!"

"No, t'wasn't _that _one."

From inside the machine comes, "WHOMP-WHOMP-WHOMP-WHOMP-_WHOMP_-DA-DA! OOF! I mean, DA-DA-DA-DA-_DA_-WHOMP WHOMP!"

"I got one!" says Brighteyes. She drops a quarter in the slot and says, "Antidisestablishmentarianism !"

"Anti…disa…" Flack says.

"Dise…" Tubbs says.

"Disa…"

"Dise…"

"Disa…"

"Dise…"

"Aw, ferget it!" they both say. The quarter pops back out of the coin slot and lands at Brighteyes' feet.

"Ooh, I got another one!" says Whopper. He drops yet another coin in the slot, then pulls a whistle out of his pocket, and blows on it. _FWEEP! FWEEP! FWEEP!_

Tubbs peeks through the coin slot from inside the machine. "A whistle, huh?"

"No trick at all!" Flack pulls a whistle out of his own pocket, then blows on it. _FWEEP! FWEEP! FWEEP!_

"Hey, I just thought of something that's gonna knock 'em for a loop!" says Scrounger. He drops a quarter in the slot, then runs off.

Tubbs peeks through the slot again. "One of 'em jus' ran off. Wonder what he's doin'."

Flack peeks through the slot next. "Hmm, he's comin' back, and he's got a saw 'n a violin bow with him…they's gonna try a _musical saw _on us!"

"Ooh…" says a concerned Tubbs. "We ain't got one a' those."

"We ain't lettin' a buncha' wise guy mutts get da better a' us! We's gotta think a' somethin', an' _fast_!"

Scrounger runs the bow back and forth across the saw, causing it to loudly screech, _SCREEOWL! YEOWOWRR! SCREECHOWWWL! EEEOWLL! YOWWW!_

From the machine comes, _SCREEOWL! YEOWOWRR! SCREECHOWWL! EEEOWLL! YOWWW!_

"Whoa," says Cooler. "They're actually doing it!"

"How are they able to copy all this awful screeching?" wonders Scrounger.

Inside the machine, Flack is holding Catgut in one arm, while holding one of Tubbs' socks in front of the cat's nose, causing him to screech loudly. "_SCREEOWL! YYOWWRR!_"

"Louder, Catgut!" Flack says. "Try hittin' high C!"

"Uh, Flack?" Tubbs inquires. "Can I have my sock back yet? My foot's gettin' cold."

"Sure, here y'go, dis oughta' be good enuff. By da way, don'cha think ya should oughta wash them socks sometime?"

"But it ain't even springtime yet!"

Just then, Violet and Barkerville come running up to the group, holding enough cotton candy for each of them.

"Hey, you guys," says Violet. "We've got some great news. They're raffling off tickets to the Taffy Thornton concert!"

"Ooh, really?" replies an elated Brighteyes. "Oh, this is _super_ peachy-keen!"

"Regrettably, however, we appear to have insufficient funds for affording said tickets." Barkerville says.

"Huh?" says Brighteyes.

"What?" says Scrounger.

"The raffle tickets cost $3.00, and we've just spent the last of our money."

"Well, why don'cha just speak English next time?" replies an irate Scrounger.

"I thought I was…"

"Wish we'd known about those tickets sooner; we wouldn't have used up our money on cotton candy." Violet says sadly.

"Well now, I wouldn't say _that_." says Scrounger through a large mouthful of cotton candy.

"And none of the rest of us have enough money among us to cover the cost, either." says Cooler.

"Mostly 'cuz we've been usin' it up on this great echo machine!" Whopper says.

"Erm, echo machine?" asks a perplexed Barkerville.

"Uhm, it's a long story…" Cooler replies.

"We's-all gonna hafta find some way t'make some money, somehow." muses Nose Marie, as the Pound Puppies begin to traipse off. Shortly thereafter, Catgut walks out of the machine and gives a _GASP_.

"Golly, wonder what _his _problem is!" says Brighteyes.

"We's-all prob'ly better off not knowin'." replies Nose Marie.

After they've left, Flack sticks his head out from the back of the echo machine. "I thought them mutts would never leave!" He hurries out of the back of the machine, with Tubbs following closely behind. "Them mangies sure get on me last nerve sometimes! Ooh, I can't wait ta catch them…"

"Duh, but Flack, wuzzn't we _s'posed _ta catch 'em? An' dat real rare one, too?"

"Ooh, I _forgot_! C'mon, Tubbs! They can't a' gone far!" The two dognappers promptly hurry off in the dogs' direction.


	5. Chapter 5: The Battle is On!

The Pound Puppies wander along, contemplating how they might make some more money, when they hear, "Hey, guys!" The Pound Puppies quickly look behind them and see Duncan walking toward them. "What'cha doin'?"

"Well, we were looking for some way to make money so we could buy some raffle tickets." Cooler says.

"Gee," Duncan says. "I really wish I could help; I just spent the last of my own money buying cotton candy."

"Can't blame ya," Scrounger replies. "That cotton candy's _really tasty_."

"Scrounger!" Nose Marie exclaims indignantly.

"Hey!" Whopper says suddenly. "Look at those great teddy bears!" He motions toward a nearby booth, lined with several large, fuzzy bears.

Nose Marie frowns. "Now, Whopper, Hon, we's all s'posed t'be savin' money fer them-there raffle tickets."

"I know, but since we can't afford the tickets now anyway, it can't hurt, right?"

"Honestly, Whopper." says Violet. "What's so special about those teddy bears?"

Suddenly, from behind the booth, comes, _THUD! OOH, WATCH WHERE YA'S GOIN, YA KLUTZ! _

"Uhm, they…talk?" says Whopper.

At that very moment, the two dognappers spring out from behind the booth(Well, rather _stumble _out from a large pile of teddy bears). "Look, Tubbs! It's them mutts, an' dey got that real rare one with 'em! Let's get 'em!"

"Pound Puppies, let's start pounding!" Cooler exclaims. At this, the nine dogs quickly turn and rush away, with the dognappers in hot pursuit. Out of the corner of his eye, Cooler spots the echo machine. "Quick, guys! In here!"

The dogs promptly rush into the back of the machine just as the dognappers approach them. "Haw haw, we got 'em now!" Tubbs guffaws. "Let's nab 'em!"

"No…wait," Flack says. "Rather than nab 'em right away, let's give 'em a taste a' their own medicine first!" He walks up to the machine and drops a quarter in the slot, which is promptly caught by Cooler inside the machine.

"Say…" Cooler says. "I think we've just had our money problem solved!"

Flack takes a kazoo out of the pocket of his coat and blows on it. _BZZ!_

"Ah, that's an easy one." says Whopper. He takes a kazoo(which he'd won in a game earlier) out of his own pocket and blows on it. _BZZ!_

"Lemme try one." says Tubbs. He drops a quarter in, then takes a small, plastic, bird-shaped whistle out of the pocket of his coat and blows on it. _TWEE-TWEE-TWEE-TWEE-TWEET!_

Brighteyes promptly takes another small, plastic, bird-shaped whistle(which she'd won in a game earlier) out of her purse and blows on it. _TWEE-TWEE-TWEE-TWEE-TWEET!_

"Huh," Flack muses. "They's gettin' these too easy. Wonder what we could find that'd be tuffer fer 'em ta match…"

"Duh, how's about dis oboe, Flack?" Tubbs hands him the aforementioned.

"Yeah, dis'll be perfect, uh…where'd'ja get dis oboe from? Well, never mind." Flack drops a quarter in, then pipes out a tune. _TOODLE-OODLE-OO, TOODLE-OODLE-OODLE-OODLE-OODLE-OODLE-OO._

"An oboe, eh?" says Barkerville. He promptly produces an oboe of his own and plays it. _TOODLE-OODLE-OO, TOODLE-OODLE-OODLE-OODLE-OODLE-OODLE-OO._

"Say, that's mighty clever. Where'd you get that oboe from, Barky?" Scrounger inquires.

"Why, the same place they did." the English bulldog replies. The dogs all stare at him oddly.

"Rats! They came back wit' _dat_ fast!" says a shocked Flack. "C'mon Tubbs, we's gotta find somethin' what'll be harder ta copy." The dognappers then hurry off.

Violet peeks through the coin slot. "They just ran off."

"Wonder what they're about to do." says Scrounger.


	6. Chapter 6: A Squallin' Good Time

The dognappers wander through the fair. "Hmm," Flack muses while stroking his beard. "Now whatta they have around here dat makes noise?"

Just then, a man pushing a large cart filled with various small plastic noisemakers passes by them, calling, "Souvenirs, get your souvenirs here!"

_Aha! _thinks Flack. _Perfect! _He quickly runs over, sticks his foot in the guys path and trips him. "Now, Tubbs," he whispers. "Get somethin' outta his cart while he ain't lookin'."

"Duh, okay." Tubbs whispers.

Flack picks the guy up and dusts him off. "Eh, looks like ya tripped there, cousin. Let me help ya's up."

"Gee, thanks, buddy." the guy says. He then returns to his cart and goes off. "Souvenirs, get your souvenirs here!"

After the guy has left, Flack hurries over to Tubbs. "A'right, Tubbs, who'd get?"

"Duh, I got dis nifty plastic bugle!" Tubbs holds the aforementioned up for Flack to see, then blows into it. _SQUALL!_

"Eh…It'll haf'ta do."

As the dognappers make their way back to the echo machine, Tubbs continues to blow on the bugle. _SQUALL! SQUALL! SQUALL! SQUALL! SQUALL! SQUALL! SQUALL! SQUALL! SQUALL! SKWERRK! _He's cut off abruptly as Flack yanks hard on the end of his scarf.

"Willya quit dat a'ready? Ya's s'posed ta be drivin' them mutts crazy, not me!"

"Okay." Tubbs wheezes, red-faced.

The dognappers approach the echo machine. Flack drops a quarter in, and Tubbs blows into the bugle. _SQUALL!_

A mechanical hand pops out of Howler's hat, holding an identical bugle, which he then blows into. _ SQUALL! _

"Dey did it again…" says a bewildered Flack.

Tubbs walks up to the machine, drops another quarter in the slot, and blows on the bugle again. _SQUALL! _

_SQUALL! _

He drops another quarter in and blows on the bugle twice. _SQUALL SQUALL! _

_SQUALL SQUALL! _

He drops yet another quarter in and blows on the bugle many, many more times. _SQUALL SQUALL SQUALLITTY-SQUALL SQUALL SQUALL SQUALL SQUALL SKWEE Squmm squipp squnnch…skee…spunge…skweek._

Tubbs stands there red-faced and gasping for breath. He slowly lifts the bugle to his mouth again, upon which Flack angrily runs up behind him and kicks him in the bum. _SKWA-OOOOOO-RAAAH!_

"Whad'ja do dat for?!" Tubbs exclaims irritably.

"'Cause ya was spendin' up all our hard-earned dough, ya big dumb lump! Da boss ain't payin' us a fortune, ya know!"

From the machine comes, _SQUALL SQUALL SQUALLITTY-SQUALL SQUALL…_

"Ahh, ferget it, ya's can keep your dumb old quarter! We'll get you yet!" says an aggravated Flack.


	7. Chapter 7: Nothing to Sneeze At

Just then, the dognappers hear _AHH-OOOOSH-NIGOOBEN!_

"What was dat sound?" Flack says.

_SQUALL?_

"Not _dat _sound_, _ya twit!" Flack angrily shoves the bugle into Tubbs' mouth.

Just then, Flack observes a guy with short, neatly-combed brown hair, wearing a white shirt with a collar, blue pants, brown shoes, and a pair of thick-rimmed black glasses walking past them. The guy sneezes, _AHH-OOOOSH-NIGOOBEN! _"Gosh," he says. "I sure do enjoy these carnivals, but they always wreak havoc on my allergies. Must be the sawdust…"

"Ahh, dat's jus' what we need!" Flack says schemingly. He turns to Tubbs(who pulls the bugle out of his mouth and stares at it, scratching his head). "Go get dat guy 'n bring him over here."

"Sure thing, Flack." Tubbs runs over to the guy, throws him over his shoulder, and hurries back.

"H-hey, what are you doing?!" the guy exclaims.

Tubbs stands the guy in front of Flack, who then grabs up a handful of sawdust from off of the ground and throws it in the guy's face. The guy sneezes, _AHH-OOOOSH-NIGOOBEN! _

Inside the machine, Duncan quickly produces a bellows and squeezes it hard. _AHH-OOOOSH-NIGOOBEN! _

"Say, that's pretty nifty," says Brighteyes. "Where'd you get that bellows?"

"Oh, I traded a guy a pearl-handled walking stick for it." the Dunker replies.

"But where'd y'all get a pearl-handled walkin' sti...oh, never mind." says Nose Marie.

"Dey did it again…I can't believe it…" says an astounded Flack.

"Excuse me," the guy says to Flack. "But I think you dropped a quarter."

"Ah, really?" the skinny dognapper bends over and begins scuffling around the ground. "Where is it?"

"Right _HERE_!" the guy kicks Flack in the bum, causing him to head-butt Tubbs in the belly, sending them both sprawling.

"Di'ja find da quarter?" Tubbs asks dazedly, after the guy has left.

"Dere weren't no quarter," Flack's voice escalates into a snarl. "It was just an illusion, like da notion dat you got any brains in dat _BIG, OVERRIPE SQUASH-SHAPED HEAD A' YOURS!"_

At that moment, a lady and her son walk by. "Look, Mommy," the little boy says, pointing at Tubbs. "That man's head is shaped like an overripe squash!"

"Didn't nobody never teach dat kid any manners?" the fat dognapper mumbles to himself, as he and Flack slowly climb to their feet.

"C'mon, Tubbs, we gotta find somethin' else. We ain't lettin' a buncha' mutts get da better of us!." The two dognappers promptly traipse off again.


	8. Chapter 8: Going, Going, Gone!

Flack and Tubbs wander through the fair; they haven't gone far until they hear, "Heyallrightnowtendollarstwen tydollarsthirtydollarsfourty dollars.", at which point they observe an auctioneer, surrounded by a large crowd of people, at a stage nearby.

"Dat's it!" Flack says.

The dognappers jostle their way to the front of the crowd. "Excuse me, cousin," Flack says. "Me associate and I got a piece a' property we'd like ya's ta evaluate fer us."

"Property?" Tubbs whispers. "We ain't got no property. We's squattin' in da house we got now!"

"Not da house, you twit," Flack whispers in reply. "Da _machine_!"

"Da machine?"

"Don't tell me ya forgot already!"

"Duh, what machine was dat?"

"Ow."

"Huh?" Flack promptly pinches Tubbs' nose. "OW! Oh, oh yeah, da echo machine!"

Flack turns to the auctioneer again. "We's even willin' ta pay ya's a fee. So, how 'bout it?"

"Sureallrightnowsoundslikeago oddealgreatdealwonderfuldeal excellentdeal, soletsgoletshurryletshustlel etsgonow." the auctioneer replies.

The dognappers lead the auctioneer over to the echo machine. "So, cousin," Flack says, motioning toward the machine. "Whaddaya s'pose a fine piece a' machinery such as dis oughta go for?" Tubbs then walks over to the machine and drops a quarter in.

The auctioneer looks the machine over. "WellI'dsayabouttwohundreddollarsth reehundreddollarsfourhundred dollarsfivehundreddollars."

From the machine comes, "Twohundreddollarsthreehundre ddollarsfourhundreddollarsfi vehundreddollars."

"I-I can't believe it." says an astonished Flack. "How did they…?"

"Wow," says Brighteyes, who's standing next to Scrounger. "You imitated that guy really well!"

"Who's imitating him?" the yellow basset hound replies. "You were standing on my tail."

The auctioneer turns to Flack. "Wellnowwwhere'smypaymyfeemywagesmymoney?"

"Aw, g'wan, beat it!" Flack snaps rudely.

"Whyyoujerkyouratyoulouseyout roublemaker, I'mgonnapunchyousohardyourfrie ndthere'sgonnafeelit!"

"Huh?" Flack replies, at which the auctioneer promptly gives him a swift uppercut to his long pointy nose, knocking him to the ground.

"_OWW!_" Tubbs squeals, rubbing his nose.(That auctioneer was truly a man of his word!)

"C'mon, Tubbs," Flack says, slowly climbing to his feet. "There's gotta be _somethin'_ 'round here what makes a sound them mutts can't match!" The dognappers then set off again.


	9. Chapter 9: That Old Hack Magic

Flack and Tubbs wander a ways until they hear, "Hey! You guys!" The two dognappers turn around, upon which observing a magician standing in front of them.

"Who, us?" Tubbs inquires.

"Yeah, you, Shorty and Fatso. Listen, I need someone to keep an eye on my booth while I'm on lunch break, and you're just the guys for the job."

"But…" Flack begins.

"No 'buts'. I've been watching you guys wander around for about ten minutes, so you apparently have nothing better to do. Now get going!"

"Who does dat guy think he is?" Flack mumbles under his breath as he and Tubbs make their way toward a large green and purple booth with the words, "THE GREAT MESMO" painted on the side.

Flack sits at the front of the booth while Tubbs rummages through a box of magic tricks at the back. Tubbs takes out a Chinese finger trap, and immediately gets his fingers stuck in it. He pulls harder and harder, but is unable to get free. Suddenly, he hears a mysterious, echoing voice say, "_I can see into your future…_"

"Huh?"

"_I predict that you will never get your fingers out that way…_"

Tubbs turns around, upon which observing a crystal ball on a nearby stand reading, "THE GREAT MESMO'S TALKING CRYSTAL BALL".

"Haw haw, dat thing's got a funny voice!" he chortles.

Flack looks over his shoulder. "_I can see into your future…_" the crystal ball says.

"Yeah…" Flack muses, a sly grin spreading across his face. "It sorta _does_, don't it? Them mangies ain't gonna be able ta match _dis_, I'll bet!"

Flack quickly nabs the crystal ball, and he and Tubbs both hurry back to the echo machine. He drops a quarter in, then holds the crystal ball out at arm's length. "_I can_ _see into your future…_" it says.

Inside the machine, Nose Marie quickly grabs a nearby popcorn tin and speaks into it, causing her voice to echo. "_I can_ _see into your future…_"

"B-but, how did they…?" Flack says in astonishment.

"_I predict that you will soon be in big trouble…_" the crystal ball says.

"Huh? What's dat s'posed ta mean?" Flack says. He then turns around to see Mesmo standing next to him, with an angry look on his face.

"So, a couple of small-time crooks,eh?" Mesmo says. "Well, Ill show _you _small-time!" He then takes a small jar reading, "MAGIC POWDER" out of his pocket, and throws some of the powder on Tubbs. There's a puff of smoke, and suddenly, Tubbs shrinks to the size of a mouse!

Tubbs runs around squealing, "I'm tiny! I'm tiny! Help me! Help me!"

"Gosh," Flack says. "I better pick ya's up before someone steps on ya's or somethin', cousin." He then picks Tubbs up; unfortunately, at that very moment, Tubbs grows back to size and flattens on him.

"Duh, Flack? Hey, Flack, where'd'ya go?"

"This is a lot closer to your bum than I'd ever want my face to be." the skinny dognapper says in a muffled voice.

(While all this is going on, Brighteyes had been looking through the coin slot with a portable video camera. "Oh, this is going straight on Youtube!" she says with a giggle.)

Tubbs climbs to his feet(which Flack must have been quite grateful for), and Flack follows suit. "C'mon Tubbs," the skinny dognapper says, dusting himself off. "We'll outdo them little mutts or go broke tryin'!"

"I'd put good money on goin' broke." Tubbs mumbles under his breath.

"What was dat?" Flack asks.

"Uhh, uhh, dat magician guy, he was really a bloke wasn't he? Yeah." the fat dognapper replies nervously.

"Well, yeah, I guess ya's could say dat…"

_Phew! _Tubbs thinks, as the two of them set off yet again.


	10. Chapter 10: A Squawkin' Good Time

The dognappers wander through the park for a bit; suddenly, Flack stops short. "Look, Tubbs!" he gestures toward a gate reading "ANIMAL PARK" in the distance. "Dere's da ticket!"

"Yeah, I see where ya goin' wit' dis, them mutts've been able ta copy things real easy, but they ain't gonna be able ta copy _animals_ so easy!"

Flack gives him an odd look. "Ahh, c'mon." he says, as they traipse through the entrance.

The dognappers wander through the animal park for a little while; suddenly, Tubbs calls, "Duh, hey Flack, I think I found a critter they ain't gonna be able to copy!"

Flack peeks around a corner and sees Tubbs standing in front of the giraffe cage. Tubbs waves his hand below a giraffe's nose. "C'mon, speak boy, speak!"

"Tubbs, you dunderhead, giraffes don't make no sound at all!"

"Huh," the fat dognapper says indignantly. "Fine time fer you ta clam up!"

Suddenly they hear, _SKREE-WAAAWWK-GKKPTHT! _"Ahh, see?" Tubbs says to the giraffe. "I knew ya could do it!"

"Dat weren't da giraffe, you moron." Flack snaps. "It came from over _dere_!" He gestures toward a cage full of three large, odd-looking pink birds with large toucan-like bills, and long, hot-pink feathers that resembled a weird haircut on top of their heads. One of them squawks, _SKREE-WAAAWWK-GKKPTHT! _loudly.

"Perfect, _perfect!_" Flack schemingly rubs his hands together. "Dis'll throw them little mutts fer a loop fer _sure_!" He takes out a crowbar, pries the bars of the cage open, and picks up the largest of the birds. "C'mon Tubbs, let's blow dis taco stand before somebody catches us!" The two of them then hurry back to the echo machine.

Flack, with the bird perched on his arm, drops a quarter into the machine. "Heh," he mumbles under his breath. "If dis don't work, I'll eat me hat!" He holds his arm out, then faces the bird. "A'right ya's expensive feather duster, cut loose! Make them little mutts crack up tryin' ta copy ya's crazy lingo!"

The bird lets out a loud _SKREE-WAAAWWK-GKKPTHT! _

Inside the machine, Cooler takes a pepper shaker out of the pocket of his jacket and sprinkles a vasty amount of pepper on Howler's nose. Howler sniffles. "Ah-ahh-_ahhh-SKREE-WAAAWWK-GKKPTHT!_" he sneezes.

The other Pound Puppies stare in astonishment. "What?" Cooler says. "Hadn't any of you noticed before that he did that?" Howler simply sniffles.

Tubbs picks up Flack's hat. "You want ketchup or mustard on dis?"

The skinny dognapper grabs his hat back and angrily facepalms. "Ooh, they did it with such _ridiculous _ease! I was never so humiliated in me life!" He angrily storms off in the direction of the animal park, carrying the bird under his arm, with Tubbs following closely behind. The bird squawks _THBBBHT!_, to which Whopper responds by blowing a raspberry. _THBBBHT!_


	11. Chapter 11: A Sound Arguement

Inside the machine, the dogs are cracking up. "We got those dognappers, we got 'em good! Whee hee hee!" Whopper laughs.

"They're _beat_! They won't be back!" Scrounger chortles.

"Mm. I hope that's not true, you guys," says a concerned Brighteyes. "We still need one more quarter. They've paid us eleven quarters so far, that's $2.75, and we'll need $3.00 so we can afford those tickets."

Back at the animal park, the dognappers have pried the cage open again, and are putting the bird back in. Suddenly, they hear, "Say, what's going on here?" upon which they turn and see a zookeeper standing next to them.

"Uh oh!" Tubbs whispers. "Whatta we gonna do?"

"Uhh, well ya see," Flack nervously tells the zookeeper. "Da boid had gotten loose, so we was jus' returnin' him ta his cage."

"Why, what a fine pair of citizens you are! Here, take these as a reward." the zookeeper hands them a pair of raffle tickets.

"Hey, a raffle!" Tubbs says elatedly.

"Not _now_, Tubbs!" Flack grumbles as he storms out the front gate of the animal park with Tubbs following closely behind. "We can't give up. We'll get da better a' them lousy mutts yet! We's gotta go back there 'n _overwhelm _'em wit' noise! C'mon, Tubbs!"

The two dognappers hurry along until they spy a large box full of various items, with the word "PRIZES" on the side, behind a booth.

"Ah, jus' what we need!" Flack says. He and Tubbs pick up the box and hurry back toward the echo machine.

"Wow-wow-wo-o-o-o-w, they _are _coming back!" howls Howler.

"And how! They've got a big box full of noise gadgets!" adds a concerned Violet.

"Looks like we're going to be _earning _these next few quarters." says Cooler.

Flack drops a quarter in the machine. "A'right ya's nasty little mutts, get ready fer some quick changes a' pace!" He grabs some bagpipes out of the box and pipes out a tune. _FEETLE-TEE-FEETLE-TETEE-TE-TWEE!_

Duncan grabs a nearby worn-out inner tube, fills it up with the bellows they'd used earlier, then sticks the oboe they'd used earlier in a hole on the side. The air runs out slowly. _FEETLE-TEE-FEETLE-TETEE-TE-TWEE!_

Flack drops another quarter in, then grinds a hand organ with one hand _GRIND! _while thumping on a small drum with one foot _BOOM!, _shaking a pair of maracas with the other hand _SHAKA-SHAKA-SHAKA!, _and squeezing a bike horn under the other foot. _BEEP!_

Tubbs blows on a trumpet _AWOOGAH! _while crashing together a pair of cymbals _CRASH!, _tapping on a toy piano's keys with one foot _PLINK, _and squeezing a rubber ducky under the other foot. _SKWEEGEE!_

Unbeknownst to them, Howler has been nabbing various noise gadgets out of the box(via the mechanical hand from his hat). Inside the machine, Scrounger grinds a small egg beater _GRIND!, _Violet taps on a small xylophone _PLINK, _Whopper shakes a toy rattle _SHAKA-SHAKA-SHAKA, _Cooler crashes two cooking pans together _BOOM-CRASH!, _Brighteyes presses a button on a small toy robot's head _BEEP!, _and Barkerville pushes a button on the side of a small toy car _AWOOGA! _Finally, the mechanical hand from Howler's hat reaches through the keyhole and squeezes Tubbs' belly. _SKWEEGEE!_

The fat dognapper stares astonished at this. He turns to Flack. "Uh, I think dat's cheatin'…"

Flack drops yet another quarter in, then blows on a brass horn _BWATT! _while squeezing an accordion _WHEEZE-WHONK!, _stomping on a metal spring with one foot _BWOOOING!, _and kicking a metal cooking pot with the other foot. _CLANG!_

Tubbs blows on a harmonica _HMM! _while scratching on a small chalkboard _SCREECH!, _shaking a string of small sleigh bells tied to his ankle _JINGLE-JANGLE-JINGLE!, _and stomping on a sheet of bubble wrap with the other foot. _POP! POP! POP!_

"They're snowing us under," a concerned Howler says. "Maybe we'd better skip it!"

"Regrettably, we don't have that option," Cooler replies. "They've already paid for the echo."

Howler blows on a tuba _BWATT! WONK! WHEEZE!, _Whopper bounces a rubber ball against the side of the machine _BWOOOING!, _Nose Marie sticks a piece of wax paper over a comb and blows on it _HMM!, _Brighteyes shakes a metal charm bracelet _JINGLE-JANGLE-JINGLE!, _Duncan rubs a balloon _SCREECH!,_ Violet rings a hand bell _CLANG!, _and Cooler squeezes a popping Martian toy. _POP! POP! POP!_

"_Still _they do it!" snarls an exasperated Flack. "But we ain't givin' up. C'mon Tubbs!" The dognappers then race off.

They've gone a ways before they come across a huge tent with a sign reading "STORAGE" above the door. They go inside, upon which observing a large collection of fireworks(which one assumes were for a show later that night). In the midst of which is an enormous firecracker, about the size of a small elephant.

"Ooh, dis is _great_!" Flack says excitedly. "I jus' _know _they ain't gonna be able ta copy dis!" He and Tubbs both nab the giant firecracker and carry it back. They set the firecracker down, Flack lights it, and they both run a little ways away. "Every man fer himself! Run fer ya's lives!" they exclaim.

Flack yells over his shoulder, "Youse little mutts better have a _big _firecracker in dere!"

"We're not worried!" Cooler shouts back. "We don't have to copy your old firecracker!"

"Huh?" says Flack.

"Why?" says Tubbs.

"Because," Brighteyes shouts. "You forgot to put a quarter in the slot!"

"Ooh, them mutts is _right_!" Flack exclaims. He and Tubbs frantically dig through their pockets for any kind of quarter, but they can't find any, and…

**BWA-BOOOOOOOOM!**

The firecracker goes off, sending the dognappers flying across the park. They land in a booth selling stuffed animals; Tubbs reaches down and picks something up off of the ground.

"Duh, hey look, Flack, I found a quarter!" Flack angrily stuffs Tubbs' hat in his mouth. "Now, why did you do that?" the fat dognapper says in a muffled voice.


	12. Chapter 12: It Just Slipped their Minds

"C'mon, Tubbs, there's gotta still be _somethin_' them mutts can't copy!" The two dognappers promptly rush out to their van(which is parked just outside the carnival) and drive off to Katrina's house.

The dognappers proceed to ransack every room of the house, pillaging every drawer, cabinet and storage bin. As they're digging through a cabinet in the living room, Katrina walks up to them.

"Well? Did you get that rare dog?"

The dognappers ignore her. "Duh, hey Flack, how's about dis stapler?" _CLICK, CLICK._

"Nah, they'll get dat one too easy." Flack replies.

"But, what about the dog?" Katrina inquires.

Tubbs starts digging through a nearby storage bin. "Ooh, how's about dis rubber ducky?" _SKWEEGIE!_

"Nah, we used one a' those already." Flack replies.

"But, what about the dog?" Katrina repeats.

Tubbs takes an old banjo out of the bin. "How's about dis?" _TWANG!_

"Nah, they'll get dat one too easy, too. Try da next room." Flack says.

"Okay." Tubbs runs off .

"But, what about the dog?" Katrina has a touch of aggravation in her voice this time.

"Hey," Tubbs calls. "I think I found sumthin'!"

"Really? Let's see it." Flack replies.

Tubbs walks into the doorway holding a large, strange-looking clock. The clock goes, _YO. YO. YO. YO._

"But…but…_BUT_…" Katrina begins.

"Ah, dat's perfect!" says Flack. "They'll never match dat one!"

"_WHAT ABOUT THE DOG?!_" Katrina yells with such force that she causes Tubbs to drop the clock on the floor. _SMASH!_

"Now look what'cha went 'n made me do!" the fat dognapper says indignantly.

"Uhh, well, y'see, boss, da thing is…" Flack nervously begins to explain.

"Never mind!" Katrina cuts him off abruptly. "Just go back to that carnival and _get that dog!_"

"Sure thing, boss." they both reply, as they traipse out the front door and back to the van.


	13. Chapter 13: Sounding it Out

Back at the carnival, Cooler is tallying up the money. "Twelve…thirteen…fourteen quarters. That should be $3.50."

"Oh boy!" says Whopper.

"And we sure earned it, too!" says Brighteyes.

"We'll have fifty cents left over, too." adds Scrounger. "We'll have enough money for two of those jumbo boxes of popcorn that we can all share."

"Yum-my!" says Brighteyes.

"Now, we'd better hurry and get you back to Maddie before the dog show starts, Duncan." Cooler says, as they all hurry out of the back of the echo machine.

"Sure!" the Dunker replies. "Oh, by the way, who were those guys? They were really funny. Were they clowns?"

"Well, Hon', y'see…yes, they were clowns." Nose Marie replies.

While this is happening, Flack and Tubbs arrive back at the carnival. "Now listen," Flack says seriously. "We gots ta focus on nabbin' dat rare mutt, an' _only _on dat."

"Sure thing, Flack."

"We ain't gonna go back ta dat echo machine or nothin', right?"

"Duh, right."

"An' we ain't gonna get distracted by nothin', but _nothin_', right?"

"Duh, right."

"A'right!"

The dognappers wander ahead for a ways; suddenly, Tubbs says, "Ooh, hey look, a raffle!"

"Ooh, dat's great! Y'still got them raffle tickets?"

"Duh, yeah!"

A little while later, Katrina arrives at the carnival. "What is taking those two dunderheads so long to get that dog?"

She walks a little ways before observing, around a corner, Holly and Maddie, the latter of whom is holding Duncan's leash, standing and talking together with all of the Pound Puppies(save for Brighteyes) gathered by their feet. Just then, Brighteyes hurries up to them with eight concert tickets in her paw.

"Guess what, guys? We won the tickets!"

"Really? Oh, that's great!" the other dogs reply.

"Those louts never even _got _the dog! Ooh, wait till I get my hands on them!" Katrina snarls, angrily shaking her fists.

Moments later, Flack and Tubbs walk up to Katrina.

"Where have you two speed bumps been? And why didn't you nab that dog?" Katrina angrily inquires.

"Da dog? Ohh yeah, da dog." Flack says. "I guess we musta' forgot. But, look at what we _did_ get!" he holds up a large, odd-looking clock, identical to the one Tubbs had broken earlier. _YO. YO. YO. YO._

"Ah, how very nice, dear. May I see that for a second?"

Flack hands Katrina the clock; she immediately starts chasing after them, swinging the clock at them as she goes.

"Whatta lousy deal dis is." Flack grumbles.

"Whatta lousy deal dis is." Tubbs repeats.

"Oh, will you stop echoin' everything I say?!"

**The End.**


End file.
